The Truth About Rachael Ray's Feud With Oprah

It's no secret that several celebrities just don't like Rachael Ray. The former Food Network star has accumulated many adversaries in her decades-long career on television and in the food industry — the late Anthony Bourdain once called her the antithesis of the ever-beloved Julia Child. Ray has been pretty much unfazed by all the noise, but the whispers of one particular feud drove her to publicly squash the rumors.

Speculations about beef between Ray and fellow talk show mogul Oprah Winfrey swirled on the internet in 2008. It wasn't long before Ray was compelled to say something. On an episode of "The Rachael Ray Show" later that year, Winfrey's bestie, Gayle King, mentioned the scuttlebutt. "I read something that you two were fighting. I know that's not true," she told Ray (via Today). The EVOO coiner went on to say that she hadn't even spoken to Winfrey in a while, much less pick a fight with her. "We had written each other sweet notes, it was her birthday and I sent her snack of the day and she sent me a note," Ray said of the time the rumors hit.

Ray compared the rumors to the nastiest rumors about her love life with husband Jon Cusimano, saying that she can normally shrug them off. However, she said, "The one with Oprah just broke my heart. It really did. It killed me, I'm like,'No! We like each other!'"

In reality, Oprah Winfrey has been somewhat of a mentor to Rachael Ray. "She is delightful and has changed the course of my life and my family's life," Ray told Howard Stern on "The Howard Stern Show." While speaking to the radio personality, Ray reminisced about the time Winfrey took a chance on her. In 2005, the foodie got a call from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to be a guest in May of that year. It wasn't smooth sailing for Ray, as she got stuck at the airport waiting for a delayed flight. When she eventually arrived at the studio, Ray recalled, "Her hair and makeup people look at me with such pity, they almost start crying." Luckily, Ray nailed her segment that even Winfrey was compelled to say, "You've got it." Winfrey's production company, Harpo Studios, later allowed Ray to helm a syndicated talk show, the beloved "Rachael Ray Show," which ran for 17 seasons from 2006 to 2023.

Celebrating the 2000th episode of the "Rachael Ray Show" in 2017, Winfrey told her side of Ray's story of discovery. Recalling Ray's 2005 debut on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Winfrey said, "Even then, I knew it; she was the real deal." And with Ray accruing thousands of hours on TV, multiple shows, several acclaimed cookbooks, and a spot on the list of the wealthiest Food Network stars, Winfrey was right.